The Tale of the Printer and the Two-Seat “Shorty” Ford Mustang

Back in the early 1960s, as Ford Motor Company product planners, designers and engineers were brainstorming ideas for a compact sporty car, there were numerous proposals for two-seaters. Most of those concepts never got any further than sketches, but at least one running prototype of a two-seat Mustang was built and survives today thanks to the devotion of Bill Snyder of Hudson, Ohio.
The “shorty” Mustang, as it is often called, was designed by Vince Gardner and built in 1964 by long-time Ford supplier Dearborn Steel Tubing for a traveling custom car show. Now known as DST Industries, the company still builds and prepares many Ford prototype, concept and show vehicles.
“I saw the shorty Mustang during one of the stops of that traveling car show and decided I had to have one,” said Snyder. “I told a Ford rep I wanted to buy a two-seat Mustang to go along with my then 10-year-old Corvette, but he said it was a one-off that they were never going to build.”
The owner of Ohio-based screen printing company Nordec Inc., Snyder has always been a sports car fan. Although Snyder was hugely disappointed, he nevertheless kept an eye out in case Ford ever did produce a similar car. It turns out patience truly is a virtue, and several years later Snyder ended up owning exactly the car he saw on that show stand.
How did this car come to be?
After choosing a Gale Halderman-penned two-door hardtop as the basis for the production Mustang in the fall of 1962, the Ford design team continued to look at possible alternatives for expanding the lineup. A convertible joined the hardtop at Mustang’s launch in April 1964, with a fastback coming a few months later. Body styles that were considered and rejected included a four-door sedan and even a two-door station wagon.
Early on in the program, two-seaters were frequently pitched as potential replacements for the late, lamented first-generation Thunderbird, which by that point had grown into a luxury four-seat coupe. However, two-seaters then and now are niche products and Ford wanted its new car to have a broader appeal including young families, so the decision was made that the car would have four seats.
Despite that, when an opportunity arose to build a custom Mustang for an upcoming traveling car show, DST brought in freelance designer Gardner to take another shot at a two-seat Mustang. It’s not known if Gardner ever saw or had access to rejected Ford design studio sketches, but the concept crafted by the DST team bears a strong resemblance to at least one sketch from February 1963.

The resulting car is a Mustang fastback with 16 inches removed between the rear edge of the door and the rear axle. Working with one of the preproduction 1965 Mustangs that otherwise would have been sent to the crusher, the DST fabricators created unique rear bodywork from fiberglass and new outer door skins that incorporate the classic Mustang side scoop.
When the tour where Snyder had seen the shorty ended, the car, which was rejected for production, was set to meet the same fate as most such cars – the crusher. Not wanting to see this unique Mustang destroyed, Gardner stashed it away in a nearby warehouse.
Several months later, after Ford reported it stolen and received an insurance payout, the warehouse owner discovered the car. Since Gardner had apparently not paid any rent, the insurance company that paid out the claim took possession of the car and later sold it to one of its executives.
Shorty finally finds a home
Four years after he first saw the shorty Mustang at the car show, Snyder spotted it once again, this time listed in the for sale section of Hemming’s Motor News.
“I contacted the seller and immediately sent a driver from my printing business to Connecticut to pick up the car,” said Snyder. “I’ve owned this one-of-a-kind Mustang for the last 46 years.”
Over time, the original auto show lacquer finish cracked and the car was sprayed with body primer as Snyder accumulated about 15,000 miles on the car. Before it went on the show circuit in 1964, Ford engineers installed a special engine. The original 260 cubic-inch V8 that was available in Mustang was bored out to 302 cubic-inches and a trio of two-barrel carburetors were installed, making this effectively a prototype for one of the most beloved engine configurations in Mustang history.
When Snyder decided to restore the car several years ago, his wife found some of the original color under the hood and worked with a paint supplier to match it exactly. Since it was a concept car, the original builders had used plexiglass for the quarter windows and backlight rather than cutting custom glass. Despite being heavily fogged after nearly 50 years, the restorers were able to buff the windows back to their original clarity.
Looking as good as or better than it did in 1964, the one-of-a-kind, two-seat shorty Mustang made its debut at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida. This year, Snyder has been taking it to a variety of events celebrating 50 years of Mustang.

Even Music Sounds Better in the 2015 Ford Mustang

 

 

• 2015 Ford Mustang will be available with three audio systems including a standard  six-speaker configuration, a premium nine-speaker system with an eight-inch touch-screen  or a 12-speaker ShakerPro with trunk-mounted subwoofer
• New car’s improved structure and aerodynamics provide a better acoustical foundation for audio fidelity
• Mustang is the first Ford vehicle to feature a high-power, 2.1-amp USB port that charges phones and other devices twice as fast as other ports

The throaty rumble of a V8 or the refined though aggressive note of an EcoBoost^® engine is generally the preferred soundtrack when driving a Ford Mustang. Yet for those times when a favorite road trip tune is called for, the all-new 2015 Mustang has that situation covered as well.
“As our team developed this Mustang, the goal was to improve the car’s fidelity in every respect – from the way it slices through a corner to the way the audio system reproduces the sound of favorite driving songs,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. “The process of rebuilding this car from the ground up allowed us to improve all aspects of the driving experience.”
Creating a solid foundation is essential to extracting the maximum performance out of the tires and suspension on the road. But that same foundation also provides numerous side benefits, such as enabling the audio system to provide cleaner, clearer sound.
The stronger body structure of the 2015 Mustang fastback is 28 percent more resistant to twisting than the previous model, resulting in less noise. The acoustic environment is also aided by improved aerodynamics that result from twice as much simulation and wind tunnel development – significantly reducing wind noise, especially at highway speeds.
“With a fundamentally quieter baseline to work from, we had a better acoustic environment to tune the audio systems in the new car,” said Joe Kafati, multimedia systems supervisor. “The reduction in ambient noise enabled us to achieve the same sound pressure levels in the cabin with much less power and distortion.”
The new Mustang is again available with three audio systems, each of which is better than the system it replaces in the outgoing model. The baseline system features a six-speaker configuration with separate high-frequency tweeters, now mounted in the A-pillars and pointing across the cabin to provide more direct sound to the driver and front passenger.
The more rigid doors of the new Mustang enable the use of slimmer, lighter 6.5-inch door speakers that don’t need as much travel to produce comparable audio volume, with higher-fidelity mid-range and bass sound. A pair of 6.5-inch round full-range speakers are mounted in the rear package tray of the fastback, or in the quarter panels in the convertible.
Both available premium audio systems add a front center speaker mounted in the top of the instrument panel for improved vocal and speech clarity. These systems add a separate 8+1-channel amplifier, and use powerful neodymium magnet speakers to help reduce weight while improving overall sensitivity and sound reproduction. The mid-range nine-speaker system adds a second speaker to each door, separating the low and mid-range frequencies for improved fidelity.
Stepping up to the top-end Shaker Pro system that is available on Mustang EcoBoost Premium and Mustang GT Premium brings 12 polymer cone speakers, with a pair of coaxial tweeter/woofers in the rear, plus a trunk-mounted subwoofer for maximum bass response. The subwoofer has been repackaged to fit into the rear corner of the trunk, leaving more space for cargo. Even with the Shaker Pro audio system, the 2015 Mustang convertible can still accommodate two large golf bags, or everything you would need for a weekend getaway.
“We took advantage of our new acoustics lab to tune the equalization modes for each system to provide improved clarity across all frequency ranges and in different driving conditions,” said Kafati. “The lab provides us with a consistent baseline for measuring the response of audio systems with a wide variety of music and spoken word content.”
Using the lab, Kafati and his colleagues can take objective measurements and bring in listeners to evaluate the audio from each seating position, ensuring everything sounds clear and well balanced.
With mobile technology constantly evolving, Ford SYNC^® has always been designed to enable drivers to easily connect devices of their choice. Mustang is the first Ford vehicle to feature a high-power, 2.1-amp USB port in the media bin at the base of the center stack to charge those devices twice as fast as before.
No matter which audio system a Mustang customer selects, supplemental controls on the steering wheel and voice activation for hands-free operation are standard. With standard Bluetooth wireless connectivity, drivers don’t even have to take their phone out of pocket or purse to stream music or take calls.
Each of the three available systems includes a single-disc CD player and auxiliary input. The standard audio system also features next-generation SYNC AppLink^™, enabling drivers to take advantage of selected smartphone apps while keeping hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
“Whether it’s a V8 rumble or ‘Mustang Sally,’ we’ve worked to make this the best-sounding Mustang ever,” said Kafati.